


Regenration

by milosdinosaur



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22598683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milosdinosaur/pseuds/milosdinosaur
Summary: Logan and Laura find shelter after they escape from the Weapon X project.
Relationships: Laura Kinney & Charles Xavier, Laura Kinney & Logan, Logan (X-Men)/Charles Xavier
Comments: 9
Kudos: 62
Collections: X-Men Rare Pairs 2020





	Regenration

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [flightinflame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame) in the [xmenrarepairs20](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmenrarepairs20) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>    
> Having escaped from the Weapon X project with his young daughter in his arms, the Wolverine knows only two things. One, that he has to keep her safe, and two, that the person offering him shelter might be his best chance. Whoever finds him, they take it upon themselves to help him back to himself, and as he slowly relearns his identity, he realises he doesn't want to leave them.

Charles stops near the low black bench, trying to settle in while half-heartedly listening to the habitual shifting and rustling about of the forest. Twenty-six different flowers stretch out before him, filling the whole of his gaze. 

There’s not much that can surprise Charles, his telepathy has always made it easy to anticipate the movements or decisions of the people around him. So it comes as no shock when he sees a figure - two people, actually - hurling through the forest. The man, Logan, his name is Logan, has his daughter in his arms. There’s a bestial edge to his mind as he tears through the foliage at an incredible speed - is he a mutant? More importantly, who or what is he running from? 

Charles casts his net wide, looking for hostile minds. He sieves them out easily, they’re a group of soldiers in single-minded pursuit. There’s nothing else on their minds but capturing Weapon X and X-23. Not even a trace of sympathy for Logan and his young child. This is simply another day at the job. 

_They’re not here_ , he tells them, impressing on them the futility of their mission. _You combed through the entire area but didn’t find them._ The hoard turns back obediently, disappointed at their lack of success.

 _You can come out now,_ Charles says gently to both Logan and Laura. Logan obviously isn’t familiar with telepaths, he jerks back upon hearing Charles’ voice and his claws come out with a SNIKT. 

_I want to help._ Charles does his best to project feelings of safety as he rubs at the phantom sear of pain on his knuckles. Laura lets out a snarl, her mind still radiating suspicion. 

_I’m like you,_ Charles tries once more. 

That’s what it takes. Charles coaxes them out and brings them back to his home. Thankfully, he has some leftover food. 

Laura eats fervently, completely ignoring her utensils in favour of trying to shove as much food into her mouth as quickly as possible, as if someone could take away her meal at any second. 

Logan thrusts a fork in her direction without speaking. Laura gives him a look of utter disgust. Charles waits for 30 seconds, a minute. Neither of them moves; it seems father and daughter are equally stubborn. 

“You can have as much as you want, Laura.” Charles smiles at her reassuringly. She gives Logan one last skeptical look before begrudgingly taking the fork from his hand. 

He has a spare bedroom, but Logan opts to sleep on the couch. _Because it’s closer to the door_ goes unspoken, and though Charles has only known him for a few hours, he’s almost certain that it’s because Logan wants to buy time for Laura to get away if any of Stryker’s men came after them. It makes his heart ache, to think of what the two of them must have gone through.

He’s quite sure Laura is perfectly fine spending the night by herself. Still, he makes his way towards the room she’s in. 

He knocks on the door to make sure he doesn’t startle her.

She looks up at him sharply, and he holds out the stuffed bear in offering. It was gifted to him at birth, a relic of his childhood. For the first seven years of his life, it was his only companion. Charles slept with it, he brought it with him as he roamed the mansion. They were inseparable, until his mother decided he was too old for such childish things. 

“I thought you might like a friend to keep you company,” he explains, setting the bear down next to her. "He makes a great companion. I can vouch for him."

She looks at it suspiciously for a few seconds, before deciding that it’s harmless. She snatches it from the bed and wraps her arms around it possessively. 

He smiles at Laura warmly as he bids her goodnight. When she returns the gesture, his smile gets a little wider.

Charles takes them shopping the next day. 

They find out Logan has a liking for any and all kinds of beer, although he insists that Laura is too young to try it and makes her order apple juice instead. The resultant glare she gives him would eviscerate a lesser man. They also find out that Logan and Laura share an affinity for jackets (leather for Logan and denim for Laura). Charles finds it endearing, but he doesn’t think that either of them would appreciate the thought, so he keeps it to himself. 

As the days pass, Logan and Laura become more and more comfortable with Charles. Logan is surprisingly tactile, Charles discovers. He’s always finding reasons to touch Charles - taking his hand, squeezing his shoulder, resting a hand on the small of his back. It’s something Charles has to grow accustomed to, he hasn’t lived with anyone since Raven left home all those years ago. Still, Logan’s touches aren’t unwelcome. Charles has missed it, the intimacy that comes with sharing his space with someone else. It’s nice. 

Logan starts to join Laura in her room at night. The two of them sleep curled up together, foreheads almost touching. Looking at them, one thing is clear to Charles. Logan and Laura may snarl and glower at each other, but they would go to great lengths to make sure the other was safe. 

They set up a routine. Every night after dinner, Charles and Laura sit together while he parts sections of her hair with an old fine-tooth comb. He hadn’t done it in a long time but he remembered the basic technique. The effortless, regular movement stirs up old memories: Charles thinks of Raven, how she’d used to allow him to brush her hair. If she were in the mood for it, she would alternate between a myriad of different colours. The locks of her between his fingers would be light blue for a second and orange the next. Extraordinary, even then. 

Charles helps her comb her hair so many times he loses count. Charles enjoys it, delights in the way he can do something, however simple, for Laura. Once he’s finished, Charles normally bids her goodnight and prepares to head back to his room. This time, however, he doesn’t get any warning before Laura wraps her arms around his neck and envelops him in a strangling hug. Charles returns her hug tightly, secretly thrilled that he was able to make her this happy. 

Laura tugs at his hand, pulling his chair towards the bed. Her grip is surprisingly strong for a child, and Charles once again marvels at how incredible she is. 

Charles doesn’t quite understand, but he picks up on the raw thoughts so fierce he hears them without consciously searching for it. _How are we supposed to protect you if you’re all the way over there?_

“Thank you, my dear, but I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”

“Here,” she insists, clutching his hand emphatically. 

“As long as Logan is okay with it,” Charles says, casting a glance at Logan. Laura gives her father a pointed look, almost daring him to say no. 

“Don’t see why not.” 

Being flanked by Logan and Laura was astonishingly comfortable. Charles would be content to spend every night like this, surrounded by people he loves.

“Night, Daddy.” 

“Night, Laura.” 

Charles hears a soft “Night, Papa”, and for a moment he thinks he’s hearing things, but Laura turns to face him, wedging her stuffed bear between the two of them. _To share_ , Charles realises, blinking away a swell of emotion. 

“Goodnight, Laura,” he replies, heart full. 

Upon waking up, Charles burrows himself further into the soft, welcoming sheets. It was surprisingly warm for this time of the year, usually, he woke up feeling chilly, even if the heater was on. The realisation hits him as he rubs the remainder of sleep from his eyes: what he thought were his blankets was actually Logan’s chest. They’re nose to nose, so close he could brush his lips against Logan’s stubble if he wanted to. He pulls back, both mortified by the stray thought and thankful that Logan wasn’t awake to see his blunder. 

They bring Laura to the park. Charles knows that his chair makes it hard for him to go across the playground, the wheels on his chair get stuck in the sand. He reassures Laura that he’ll be fine and urges her to go ahead. After giving him one last glance, she runs off to inspect a slide. He expects Logan to go after her, but he remains firmly planted at Charles’ side.

“I’ll be fine,” he says, giving Logan’s hand a squeeze. 

“You’re not stayin’ here by yourself.” He barely finishes the sentence before Logan picks Charles up as if he weighs nothing and begins moving towards the playground.

He normally bristles at the thought of being carried by anyone but, somehow, the fact that it’s Logan doing it doesn’t make it so bad. So, he forces himself to relax as he wraps his arms around Logan’s neck.

“I’ve got you,” Logan says, tone reassuring. He’s incredibly gentle as he puts Charles down on the bench. He joins him after fetching his chair, automatically wrapping an arm around Charles’ waist. 

“Thank you,” Charles murmurs, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He lingers for a while longer than necessary, but not for as long as he’d like, nothing that can’t be written off as a friendly gesture if necessary. 

Trying to fight the blush creeping up his cheeks, Charles turns his attention to Laura. She walks around slowly, cautiously taking in her surroundings. She scales the playground with relative ease, grinning triumphantly from the top. Free, spontaneous play. Logan has a soft smile on his face, it’s unfair how good that makes him look. As if he wasn’t handsome enough already. But there’s a layer of something dark lurking under the surface of Logan’s easy demeanour. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” 

Logan is silent for a few seconds before he replies. “I want to do right by her, even though she can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“Laura is lucky to have you, Logan. You’re a good man.”

“I’m as good as what Stryker put in me.” 

“You are so much more than that, Logan. You’re a human being. A person - with parents and memories and a history - and you were even before Stryker’s men lay a single scalpel on you.” 

Charles takes a deep breath and continues “But I understand if you need to leave, eventually. To rediscover your life or give Laura a new start or to find your home. You can’t do that here. Although, you can stay here for as long as you want.” He gives Logan a shaky smile and tries to quash his sorrow that accompanies the thought. It’s for the better. 

“I doubt Laura’d be too keen ‘bout moving. She adores you. Sometimes I think she likes you more than me.”

“I hope you find peace Logan,” Charles continues, utterly sincere but oblivious to Logan's not-so-subtle hint. “You’re always welcome back here.” 

“Look, Charles, I ain’t going anywhere if you’re not coming. Far as I’m concerned, I’ve already found my home.” 

There’s not much that can surprise Charles, but this - _this_ \- catches him off guard. He’s so stunned he laughs, overwhelmed with emotion. Caught in the moment, he presses his lips against Logan’s. Logan’s hand drifts to his hip and pulls him closer. Their foreheads are still touching when he eventually pulls away. 

_I think I've found my home too,_ Charles tells him without speaking, unravelling and sharing his wonder and delight with Logan. It comes as no surprise when Logan kisses him again, but Charles smiles against his lips anyway.


End file.
